Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

This past Sunday marked the 203rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and the official opening of the <a href="http://www.fordstheatre.org/">Ford's Theatre</a> Center for Education and Leadership in Washington, DC. The $60 million dollar project features an exhibit with hundreds of Lincoln artifacts and objects - and it also includes an awe-inspiring, three-story “Tower of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/matej-krens-idiom-is-a-spellbinding-tower-made-from-hundreds-of-books/">Books</a>” sculpture comprised of over <b>15,000 titles</b> that have been written about President Lincoln over the last 150 years. Visitors can walk up the impressive spiral glass staircase around the books to get an idea of the sheer size of Lincoln's imprint, and the influence he had on his fellow countrymen.

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

The <a href="http://www.fordstheatre.org/">Ford's Theatre</a> Center for Education and Leadership features an expansive array of historical objects related to Abraham Lincoln, including a replica train car that transported him in repose from Washington to his home in Illinois following his 1865 assassination (in Ford's Theatre).

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

An early rendering of the "Tower of Books."

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

A center column supports the over 15,000 hardback books on President Lincoln.

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

Constructing the "Tower" was no small feat - the books were secured into the sculpture one by one. These 15,000+ books average out to over 10 books a year written about Lincoln since his death in 1865.

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

An insatiable reader himself, Lincoln would undoubtedly smile and be humbled at this tribute to his legacy as a visionary American leader.

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

The exterior of the Ford's Theater Center for Education and Leadership in Washington DC.

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Tower of Books at the Fords Theater Center for Education and Leadership

This past Sunday marked the 203rd anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, and the official opening of the Ford's Theatre Center for Education and Leadership in Washington, DC. The $60 million dollar project features an exhibit with hundreds of Lincoln artifacts and objects - and it also includes an awe-inspiring, three-story “Tower of Books” sculpture comprised of over 15,000 titles that have been written about President Lincoln over the last 150 years. Visitors can walk up the impressive spiral glass staircase around the books to get an idea of the sheer size of Lincoln's imprint, and the influence he had on his fellow countrymen.